As I was just mentioning in chat, this is a spectacular lineup of games, even if the library is small.

Some of these games I have played many times but do not own: DKC, Contra 3, Star Fox, Mario Kart, either Kirby game, and F-Zero.

I have never played Earthbound, so for me this is the closest opportunity to play it the way it was meant to be played. (And no, I don't get around to ROMs much these days)

And then the staples: It has one of the best Zeldas, the best Metroid, the best Final Fantasy, and of course SoM.

Are some legendary (Chrono) games (Trigger) missing? Of course, but it's an understatement to say I want this. The demand will likely be tenfold of what the Mini-NES was, and that was horrible to obtain. I appreciate that they upped the ante on the library over its predecessor, gave us a game that in NA we never got to officially play before in StarFox 2, and kept the price relatively down. But pleeeeease, make more of these than the Mini-NES! It will sell like crazy...

I am also disappointed in Nintendo. For me, it's not so much that they are not making enough to go around, since obviously the virtual console and their subscription service is a much more profitable way to deliver the games. However they are using deceptive marketing techniques which make you think there should be enough to go around when this should be marketed as a limited edition sort of product.

I am not going to into great depth regarding how Nintendo kept stating they'll get enough stock in to satisfy the demand, only for the product to sell out in minutes each time. When they discontinued the product, it was revealed that this was never their intention but they make fools of us by pulling the same stunt one more time by swearing it'll be better for the S.N.E.S. edition and allowing the preorders to sell out.

I suspect the motive for this is to pull a bait 'n switch. They make us reminisce over their old games to get us to the store during the christmas season, and when it turns out that the product is not actually there, the next best thing would be to buy a Nintendo Switch and buy into that game subscription service, or maybe a Wii U for the virtual console.

I do not quite trust their excuses either for two reasons. One is that they have lied about component shortages before. They claimed that getting good quality R.O.M. chips for their N64 cartridges was impossible, and worked out a deal with Namco to allow them to make their own cartridges if they could source cheaper components. This is why japanese editions of Namco cartridges for the Nintendo 64 look different from the standard issue ones Nintendo sold for everybody else.

More importantly, there seems to be no good reason that something like this could not be a viable as a long term product. Atgames has proven that there is a market for this sort of product for years. They have been selling that Sega licensed Firecore console since 2009, and Atari flashback systems since 2004. It seems like in anticipation of the S.N.E.S. classic edition, that they are beginning cleaning up their act and making a product to rival it: The Sega Genesis Flashback. I'm not going to go over all of the details here, since this topic is supposed to be dedicated to the S.N.E.S. Classic edition, but I do feel like it is important to note that the audio should be greatly improved over prior Atgames products, which were admittedly insufferable.

Edit

Annoyingly, despite advertising enhanced audio in their video trailer, and having an H.D.M.I. output, it seems as if, they managed to ruin the audio anyway. I.G.N's. early review claims it pops and sounds garbled on some games. I hope it's just their review unit, but knowing Atgames' history, it's probably not for some foolish and inexcusable reason. Sigh, I was rather hopeful because reading some of the past comments, it seemed as if they actually may have hired somebody who cared for once, but I suppose that is a little too optimistic of an expectation.

The main reason I bring this up is not only to point this out that there is a competing product, but also to bring up a good point. Not only is Nintendo making fools out of us by implementing such deceptive tactics, but they are teaching us that if we really want to actually products like the S.N.E.S. classic edition, it'd be better for us if their hardware division ended up failing like Sega's did because otherwise, they do not really want to sell it.

Aside from that, I probably will buy one if I can get one. The one thing I can't ignore is Starfox 2, which is mostly just because it has no other legal release. Unlike the N.E.S., the S.N.E.S. actually outputs good quality video signals. I also already have the console with 20 of the listed games and C.R.Ts. to avoid lag and other anachronisms. Moreover, parting with any of the good games in my S.N.E.S. collection is not something I would like to do, unless it meant getting another of equivalent value.

Regarding the game selection, again, I think some of the selections are questionable. Sure, Megaman 7 is a good game, and perhaps Castlevania and Contra are perhaps decent, but these are some of the less iconic games on the system. After the N.E.S. went on its way out, the classic series Megaman games were just completely overshadowed by the X series. Also, Street Fighter II is rereleased in various forms all the time. We just got Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers this may, and the definitive classic edition would be the arcade version.

I would've rather seen the missing Donkey Kong and Megaman X sequels in their place. Also, as much as I think Kirby Superstar is a great choice, I'm wondering if it is a bit too soon. Most people seem to prefer the Ultra version for the D.S. at this point, and Kirby's Dream Collection was also released for the Wii. Also, yes, I know, D.K.C. 3 is the black sheep of the family but it'd be a nice compliment to people who bought the Donkey Kong Country Returns games without ever seeing the original series, and using fewer publishers makes it easier to license.

Or, falling short of that, replacing it with Street Fighter Alpha II might also be an interesting addition, since it's a rarer release than Street Fighter II, and it'd still fulfill the fighting game niche. The Super Bomberman games would have also would have been much better representatives for Konami at this point in time. Granted, they aren't quite as fun without a multitap I suppose, but then again the same could probably be said of Secret of Mana, which supports up to three players, albeit perhaps to a lesser extent. Speaking of which, don't sell your Secret of Mana cartridges just yet folks, unless you're sure you'll never want to play the game without the multitap.

Edit

Another consideration is that if we really must have iconic S.N.E.S. games, Killer Instinct may have also been worth licensing, due to its historic relationship with the S.N.E.S. as one of the games which helped to extend its lifespan due to its incredible pre-rendered graphics. Granted, the arcade edition is available for purchase now in Rare Replay, but I feel that it is a better choice of fighting game than Street Fighter II in this regard because Rare Replay is an Xbox One exclusive game, meaning that it is otherwise less available to loyal Nintendo customers, and I doubt Killer Instinct has been republished quite as much as the various iterations of Street Fighter II has.

Regarding the kirby games, I'm wondering if it's too soon for Superstar or not. Most people seem to prefer the D.S. version, and we also had the Dream Collection late in the Wii's life cycle. I can't really complain about Kirby's Dream Course though: It's really a surprisingly fun game, as most kirby spinoffs are, and I'm sure you folk will love it if you haven't tried it before.

Also, there are other games I would have liked to see on this thing; Star Ocean, Bahamut Lagoon, Pocky and Rocky II (I have the first one), Battle Ogre: March of the Black Queen or the original version of Tales of Phantasia which is oh so very different from the G.B.A. one. However, at the same time, I realize how incredibly unlikely those particular choices are, sigh. I should have paid more attention when these games were probably cheaper than they are now.

Like I said, I would try to get one just so I could play Starfox 2, despite having 20 of the other games and not really liking the other one too much.

Well, I got one on the first day it was released. The store had an orderly reservation process for people who personally showed up to the store a few hours before opening. Essentially everybody who showed up at the appointed time got a claim, and they were still handing them out at the last minutes before opening, so I could have saved a few hours and a second trip if I risked not going the first time.

I suppose it is better safe than sorry though, since a few people who showed up after I did did get turned down, They were waiting to sell them to the general public until after everybody who got an early claim failed to show up to the store, but I sincerely disbelieve that any of the units would have been sold that way. Unsurprisingly, It's a tiny little thing.

There were probably about a hundred to a hundred and twenty units, although that was a big store, in a big city. so other peoples' experience may have varied considerably. Still, I am thinking that perhaps what I wrote above was a little harsh, and Nintendo really does intend to make this more available than the classic edition was. Only time will really tell if I owe Nintendo an apology, since it is not as if I tried to get the N.E.S. one at launch to see what that was like, since I was not anticipating it to be out of stock on the first day. Either way, while I suppose this is going to be easier to get, I suspect it will not be enough, so I am glad I took the time out to do this.

From front to back, it is just as long as an S.N.E.S. cartridge is wide. Did anybody else here try to get one, and if so, did any of you succeed? I am curious to know just how this situation will compare.

Anyway like I mentioned beforehand, I was really just doing it because it is the only way to legally acquire Starfox 2, since I have most of the other games anyway. It is a good game. I like it better than the original Starfox, although that isn't saying much since I never really did like Starfox all that much. This seems to be easier and shorter though. I do like that it is less of an on rails game though. You have more freedom of movement in space battles, and transforming into the walker on applicable stages makes it control a little more like a typical third person shooter. It also has an overworld with simplified strategy game elements. I

Now regarding the hardware itself, from front to back, it is just as deep as a real super Nintendo cartridge is wide. It is approximately twice as tall as one is thick too. I'm not sure how to describe the width of the unit, comparatively though.

Feeling the texture of a new super nintendo controller is never something I did before, but based upon what my used controllers felt like more than a decade ago, I am pretty sure this pebbly texture is accurate. The D-pad still feels different from the original to me, and actually somewhere between that of the 8bitdo Classic U.S.B. controller and an actual SNS-005 controller. The buttons feel are nice and springy, as expected from a new controller. Perhaps even springier than other brand new controllers I have bought in recent years.

I suspect display lag is a slight problem, but have not completely confirmed it. My suspicion is founded upon difficulty extending flight in Super Mario World, and a little more reliably my scores on the Samurai Kirby minigame. Samurai Kirby really does seem to be the best sort of game to test this, since the whole point of it is to press a button on cue, and it even returns a score based upon how quickly you respond.

I would normally expect scores averaging around 11 on that if I recall correctly. I can not quite seem to get below 14 now. This could just be me, because I am out of practice, or it could be my television since I never tested how long it takes to process a signal. By the time I can do anything with a greater degree of certainty, any assessment will probably be irrelevant to anybody considering trying to get this though, especially since I am not sure how to convert the H.D.M.I. signal to something a regular C.R.T. could play without tainting the results. I probably will not get around to a direct side by side comparison of the games anytime soon. Otherwise, things seem just how I remember them being so far, which is nice, since it should be easier to carry this around than a full super nintendo complete with a library of games, esp.with analog inputs on televisions going the way of the dinosaur: If I need to do so, I can just use this.

I am sure you folk know most of the games already, and I do not think I can describe Star Fox II any better than the manual can, so I think I'll skip over that part of it for now. Speaking of manuals though, there are manuals for every game on [the official Nintendo website](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/). Aside from the squaresoft games, something that may be of particular interest is the full Earthbound strategy guide.

Each has the following disclaimer:

Quote

Any original instruction manuals included with this software are digital reproductions of the original printed manuals They are as faithful as possible to those documents and feature a bare minimum of edits. Reference may be made to features that can't be used in this version of the game, or the contact information may no longer be valid. Some copyright information may be out-of-date. Please also note that printed manuals were not always released in multiple languages.

For the most-part, most of this information is not unexpected. I mean, three players with Secret of Mana is probably impossible with the classic edition, since there is no multitap accessory for instance. However, I am curious about what constitutes "a bare minimum of edits". It seems strange, given that not even contact or copyright info. was changed.

Regardless, it should be fascinating for any of us who are curious to thumb through the original manuals for these games, because even those of us who had an S.N.E.S. in the 1990s may not have ever seen them. I'm sure most people threw everything that came in the box away as soon as the game itself was removed, and those of us who bought them used, such as myself, probably never saw the manuals for most, if any of these games.